UP consolidates management divisions

Omaha, Neb.-based Class I freight railroad Union Pacific is combining its Pocatello service unit leadership with its Portland and Utah units and reassigning five management positions to other locations, the company said in a statement.    Union Pacific Railroad (UP) will consolidate its Pocatello, Idaho service unit management with its Portland, Ore. and Utah divisions, effective April 1, the company said in a statement.
   As a result, the Omaha, Neb.-based Class I freight railroad will reassign five management positions to other locations.
   The transportation, engineering, mechanical, maintenance and other operations necessary to continue running the railroad, however, will remain in place, and the realignment will result in an operating structure similar to what was in place in Idaho prior to 2005, according to UP. The company’s Pocatello Depot will also remain operational.
   The move is part of a larger effort at UP to “align operations to meet customer demands amid marketplace shifts,” the company said.
   Meanwhile, UP said in a separate statement it will also be increasing train speeds in northwest Iowa starting next month.
   The railroad will increase the maximum track speed limit from 40 to 49 mph on its rail line paralleling Highway 60 following a rail and tie improvement project that began in October 2015. Train speeds at the Sibley, Ashton, Sheldon and Hospers crossings began increasing in weekly, five-mph increments starting with the week of March 20 and will continue increasing each week until reaching the 49-mph speed limit April 1.